Rice University
.png&width=60&height=60&type=webp)
UTEP
Rice Sweep UTEP To Advance at C-USA Championship
11/15/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 15, 2007
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. -- Overcoming a shaky start, Rice dominated UTEP for a 30-27, 30-17, 30-20 victory in the opening round of the 2007 Conference USA Volleyball Championship on Thursday afternoon in Huntington, W.Va. With the win, the seventh-seeded Owls advance to the quarterfinals to face No. 2 seed Tulane on Friday at 11 am (CST).
"I'm really pleased with the team pulling out a 3-0 win again, which is tough to do against anybody," said head coach Genny Volpe. "UTEP came out serving tough and they caught us off guard. We got in a hole early and then finally just settled down, relaxed and started playing our game. Considering how shaky we started, I'm really glad we came out with a 3-0 win."
Sophomore Natalie Bogan (Oakland, Calif.) led all hitters with 12 kills marking the third time this season she has led the Owls' offensive attack against the Miners. Junior Jessica Holderness (Sycamore, Ill.) was next with 10, and also hit .429 for the match while adding 11 digs.
"Natalie has just been doing a great job especially against UTEP," noted Volpe. "Her speed and her quickness was key today as it always is. She didn't miss a beat and was there every time to be a hitter. Jess Holderness also came out strong and showed great leadership and played great all the way around."
Defensively, freshman Tracey Lam (San Francisco, Calif.) recorded a team best 16 digs, while sophomore Jennifer McClean (Cy Fair HS) added 12 digs. As a team, Rice recorded 67 digs for the match with five players reaching double-digits.
The Owls got off to a sluggish start, and the Miners built a quick 6-2 lead. Despite the early malaise, Rice took advantage of seven UTEP service errors to stay alive. Trailing 19-15, the Owls launched an 8-0 run behind the tough serving of senior Kristina Dennemann (Cicero, Ind.) to take control of the game. The Miners rebounded to close to one point at 27-26, but the Owls held on for the win.
  | |
Rice took control immediately in game two leaping to a 7-2 lead and never looked back. UTEP kept fighting and closed to the gap to just two points at 9-7, but the Owls wouldn't be denied. The Rice hitters combined to hit .387 in the frame.
Rice continued to hold a firm grasp on the momentum in the third stanza, taking a 9-1 lead. The Miners made a push to close to 13-9, but after a time-out, Bogan picked up her team with three kills and a solo block to spark a 6-0 lead as the Owls regained control and cruised to the win.
Aidan Mooney and Christie Murphy led the Miner attack with seven kills each. Elsa Reyes had 14 digs to pace UTEP.
